Proper Solid Waste Segregation

Ondoy, just recently Sendong. Big disastrous floods had been coming one after the other.  One of the major reasons for the spate of floods in the Philippines is the improper way of disposing solid waste or garbage.  Garbage, if not disposed properly could clog waterways and drainage that result in floods as there is no adequate channel left for excess water to empty into.   

Here in the Philippines, there is an agency attached to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that oversees the solid waste management plans, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC).  The NSWMC was created eleven years ago today through Republic Act 9003 and is composed of representatives from fourteen government agencies and three from the private sector.  It is tasked primarily to implement the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Plan which entails segregation, resource recovery and recycling.

For this plan to be successful, people ought to know the proper way of segregating solid waste or garbage.  Solid waste is classified into four groups:  recyclables, compostables, residuals and toxic wastes.

Recyclable waste could be paper, plastic, steel, bottles or glasses.  When disposing paper waste, separate the white paper from colored paper.  Carton boxes should be folded so they won't eat a lot of space.  Paper waste should not be allowed to get wet otherwise it becomes compostable.  Recyclables can be sold to  scrap dealers which would reprocess them for future use. 

Old newspapers

Compostables on the other hand, are garden waste and kitchen waste.  Dried leaves, grass, plants, animal wastes, fruit and vegetable peelings, seafood shells and innards should be buried in compost pits.  In the backyard, dig a depth of at least six inches in a 3 by 3 sq. ft area.  Deposit the compostable wastes in the middle of the pit and cover with soil.  Turn the material after two weeks and add more soil.  The compost is ready for use as an organic fertilizer when it is thoroughly decomposed and crumbly.

Fruit peelings

Residuals are neither recyclables nor compostables.  Residual wastes like old furniture or appliances should be placed in plastic bags or cardboards and brought to the dumpsite for disposal.

Old furniture, wood, appliances

Toxic wastes like car batteries, cellphone batteries and chargers, paints, motor oil, spray cannisters, syringes and other medical wastes require special disposal.  Car batteries can be traded in at auto supply shops when buying a new one.  Disposing of cellphone batteries and chargers should not pose a problem.  Just visit any hub of the telco companies and drop them at the bins.  

Old car batteries

Do you know that there are companies buying used motor oil?  Used motor oil are flushed out of the vehicle during change oil.  The used oil is cleaned of impurities and undergoes re-refining.  A leading lubricant company, Valvoline is in the forefront of marketing re-refined oil with NextGen.

When all wastes have been segregated properly, a mere 4% of the total solid waste should go to landfills.  The bulk of the solid waste of Metro Manila that goes to the different landfills are the compostables (50%) and the remaining 46% are the recyclables.  With proper segregation, the life of landfills will also be extended.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle